Compressor unit for refrigeration and other applications



April 11, 1939.

L. PATRIGNANI COMPRESSOR UNIT FOR REFRIGERATION AND OTHER APPLICATIONS Ori ginal Filed Feb. 2'7, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 4/ v V E Flq/ 24 q I; 8 g l x4 /0 42 r I I I I I i. i

I o J i I 2 i 4's g H 15 2a 2/ H 39 ry a a2 Z9 Z6 3o 254 /33 m;

INVENTOR. Leon/4a Parr/gnaw.

'A ril11,1939. LP R 'ANI 2,153,773

COMPRESSOR UNIT FOR REFRIGERATION AND OTHER APPLICATIONS Original Filed Feb. 27, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 1N VENTOR.

,5; ATTORNEY.

Patented Apr. 11, 1939 COMPRESSOR UNIT FOR REFRIGERATION AND OTHER APPLICATIONS Leonida Patrignani, Bacedasco (PiacenzaL'ItaIy.

assignorto Edison Calatroni, Paris, France Application February 2'7, 1936, Serial No. 65,979.

Renewed September 21, 1938'. In France Octo ber 10,1935

5 Claims. (oi. 230-175) The present invention relates to a compressor unit for refrigeration and other applications, and the principal object of the invention is to provide novel and advantageous devices of the 5 general character specified.

An important feature of the invention relates to the provision of a compressor unit in which I the working parts may be arranged in very compact form in a closed casing. Another important It! feature relates to the provision of asimple and economical construction whereby upkeep is rendered substantially negligible.

In carrying out the invention in a preferred way, the apparatus comprises driving means, 18 preferably an electric motor, and one or more compressing devices. Although a single cylinder compressor device may be used, preferably these devices comprise one or more groups of two cylinders diametrically opposed with reference 20 to a shaft coaxial with the rotor of the motor and the shaft is utilized to operate a double-piston for each pair of opposed cylinders. Preferably the driving connection between the shaft and the double piston is efiected by means of an eccentric on the shaft and fitting in a collar fixed to the double piston. In view of this connection provision should be made for sidewise movement of the double-cylinder assembly. This requirement may be met by mounting the douhie-cylinder assembly to turn about a pivot parallel to the axis of the shaft. The inlet of the casing is in alignment with the pivot for the double cylinders and the connections from the inlet to the cylinders swings with the cylinders.

All of the working parts of the compressor unit may be housed in a gas-tight casing into which the compressed refrigerant is discharged from the compressor cylinders. The lubricant for the working parts may be placed in the easing and distributed by a splash system operating with the aid of the compressed gas discharged from the cylinders and passing through the lubricant, thereby atomizing the liquid and driving it to the desired locations, the 011 being prevented by a filter from passing out of the casing with the compressed refrigerant. Thorough lubrication may be aided by providing suitable inbrication ducts in certain of the parts.

Other objects, features and advantages will appear upon consideration of the following detailed description and of the drawings, in which- Fig. 1 is an axial section of a compressor unit constituting a preferred embodiment of the in vention; and

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 22 of Fig. 1. Referring to the drawings, the compressor unit may comprise an electric driving motor iii, the

frame It! so as to form an entirely rigid compres- 1 I sor pump unit. This rigid unit may be mounted to swing about a vertical fulcrum or pivot 20 mounted in a casing member 2 closed at the bottom by a member 22 and housing in its upperpart the electric motor I0.

Shaft I2 is mounted in bearings 24, 25 provided in casing member 2| and bottom member 22 and the lower end of said shaft rests on a ball 26 at the bottom of the lower bearing 25.

In cylinders l1 and I8, are provided inlet ports 20 21 and 28 opening into chambers 29 and 30, respectively, joined by a duct 31 communicating with a conduit 32 coaxial with the fulcrum pin 20 of the unit comprising cylinders I1 and i8. This conduit 32 communicates through a suit- 25 able expansion joint 33 with a check valve fitting 34 connected'to an intake pipe (not shown) supplying refrigerant from the system. The said expansion joint may comprise a resilient metal bellows or sylphon 35 enclosed in a com- 30 .pression spring 36.

The bottoms 31 and 38 of cylinders I1 and I8 are provided with outlet valves 39 and 40 which discharge into the casing. Connected with the top of the casing is a feed line 4| leading to the 35 evaporator of the refrigeration plant (not I shown) For lubrication purposes, the lower part of the casing may be filled with liquid lubricant which may be distributed by the splash method car- 40 ried out partly by the moving parts and to a greater extent by the compressed refrigerant discharged from the ends of the cylinders l1 and I8. The lubricant will be atomized to a considerable extent and thrown to all parts at 45 the interior of the casing, passage of the lubricant or oil from the casing being prevented by suitable means such as a filter 42 over the end of the feed line 4|. Lubrication may also be facilitated by providing suitable ducts and channels in different parts.

By mounting the cylinder structure to oscillate about the pivot 20, it is made possible to drive the pistons l5 and I6 directly from the shaft II by means of the eccentric l3 and collar 55 l4. stroke of the pistons is short and Fig. 1, rotation of the eccentric l3 by the motor will cause movement of the pistons l5 and I6 to the left. As soon as the port 21 is closed by the piston 15, the piston acts to force refrigerant in the cylinder I! out of the outer end of the cylinder against the pressure in the casing, the outlet check valve remaining closed until-the pressure in the cylinder is greater than that in the casing.

The simultaneous movement of piston l6 to the left will cause valve 40 tov remain closed and a vacuum will be produced in cylinder l8. As soon, however, as the piston l6 uncovers the port 28, the low pressure refrigerant will be drawn into the cylinder. -Upon reversal of the movement of the pistons, the piston 15 will act to draw low pressure refrigerant into cylinder I'| and piston it will act to force refrigerant under high pressure into the interior of the casing which provides a reservoir for the high pressure refrigerant. Thes actions may of course be repeated as many. times as required. During the operation the oil or lubricant in the casing will be splashed around and also atomized by the compressed refrigerant expelled from the cylinders I1 and I8.

Any desired number of pumping devices such as those constituted by cylinders i1 and 3 may be mountedalong'shaft l2, these pumping devices being preferably evenly spaced along the shaft, either on one side only of rotor II or on both sides thereof, the eccentrics, which drive the corresponding pistons, beingsuitably arranged to obtain complete equilibrium of the unit.

Shaft 12 can -be mounted in any desired position,-either vertically as shownin the drawings or horizontally or in any desired inclination.

The inyention is applicable to the compression of volatile fluids in refrigeration machines of all kinds and for all purposes, and more particularly for domestic installations, due to the small dimensions of the compressor group made possible by the present invention.

An important feature of the invention relates to the arrangement of the cylinders on opposite sides of the shaft thus enabling the compressor unit to be made relatively flat.

It should be understood that various changes i may be made'in the construction and arrangement of parts and that various features may be used without others without departing from the true scope and spirit of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

.1. In a device of the character described, a housing having an inlet and an outlet, a shaft mounted in said housing, means for driving said shaft, an eccentric on said shaft, a collar fitting over said eccentric, aligned pistons connected to said collar at diametrically opposite points,

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the oscillatory movement of the piston is of small aligned cylinders receiving saidpistons and connected with eachother to form a rigid assembly, outlets for said cylinders discharging into said housing which serves as a receiver for compressed liquid, inlets. for said cylinders connected with the inlet for said housing, and means connecting said cylinders with said housing whereby a sidewise movement is imparted to said cylinders'during the reciprocation of said pistons.

.2. In a device of the character described, a housing having an inlet and an outlet, a shaft mounted in said housing, a motor in said housing and having its rotor mounted on said shaft to drive the same, a cylindrical member eccentrically mounted on said shaft, a collar surrounding said cylindrical member, aligned pistons rigidly attached to said collar at diametrically opposite sides thereof, aligned cylinders receiving said pistons and rigidly connected with each other, outlets at the outer ends of said cylinders discharging into said housing which serves as a -receiver for the compressed fluid, inlets to admit fluid to said cylinders, means connecting said cylinders with said housing whereby a sidewise movement is imparted to said cylinders during the reciprocation of said pistons, and flexible connections between the inlet for said housing and the inlets of said cylinders.

3. In apparatus of the class described, a housing having an inlet and an outlet, a shaft mounted in said housing, a motor having its rotor on said shaft to rotate the same, an eccentric on said shaft, a collar on said eccentric, aligned pistons rigidly connected with said collar at opposite sides thereof, aligned cylinders receiving said pistons and rigidly connected with each other to form a frame, outlets for said cylinders discharging into said housing which serves. as a receiver for compressed liquid, inlets for said cylinders connected with the inlet for said housing, and a pivot for one end portion of said frame mounted in said casing whereby the cylinders will oscillate during the reciprocation of the pistons.

4. In apparatus of the class described, a relatively flat casing, a shaft extending from end to end of said casing and journalled therein, a motor mounted in said casing and having a rotor on said shaft to drive the'same, aligned cylinders vent longitudinal reciprocation of the cylinders while permitting sidewise movement.

5. In apparatus of the class described, a housing, a shaft mounted in said housing, a motorin said casing having a rotor on said shaft to rotate the same, cylinders at opposite sides of the shaft, pistons in said'cylinders, shaft-operated eccentric means for reciprocating said pistons and moving them sidewise, and connections between the housing and said cylinders to prevent axial reciprocation of said cylinders while permitting sidewise movement. a

LEONIDA PA'I'RIGNANI. I 

